Information from the Ha Tinh Museum said that, through initial records, the antique block was discovered with a total weight of about 15 kg, including thousands of bronze coins that had been oxidized, many coins were stuck together in large pieces.
This is a round tien mat, about 2.4 cm in diameter, with a square hole in the middle and about 0.6 cm in the sides, typical of ancient Eastern metal coins. The front of each penny is engraved with two Chinese characters Ngu Thu according to the letter, the back is plain, the edge of the money is quite thin and even.
According to researchers, this is Ngu Thu currency - one of the earliest and longest- circulating metal coins in the history of China and East Asia.
Ngu Thu money began to be cast and used during the Western Han Dynasty (2nd century BC), then continued to be popular for many centuries, including the Northern period in Vietnam. During the Tang Dynasty, this type of currency was gradually replaced by Khai Nguyen Thong Bao currency.
In the early centuries AD, Ngu Thu currency played an important role in economic and commercial life, becoming a popular means of exchange in many territories affected by the Han Dynasty, including Giao Chau - the predecessor of Vietnam.
Son Kim 2 is a border mountainous commune with rugged terrain. During the feudal period, most of the area was forested and sparsely populated. The discovery of a large amount of Ngu Thu money in this area raises many notable scientific questions, such as traces of ancient trading activities, hiding places for assets or related to ancient routes across the border area.
Experts say that this is the largest ever discovered Ngu Thu money in Ha Tinh, and is also the earliest type of money to have been recorded in the locality.
This discovery promises to provide more important documents, contributing to clarifying the history of settlement and economic and cultural exchange in the mountainous areas west of Ha Tinh in the first centuries of the Common era.
Currently, the authorities and the Ha Tinh cultural sector are taking steps to verify, preserve and research according to regulations to clarify the historical and archaeological value of this ancient currency, while preventing the risk of lost and illegally trading in antiques.
